COSTA MESA : Slowdown Ahead on Busy Thoroughfare

Traffic-weary residents of East 19th Street got some relief this week when the City Council agreed to reduce the speed limit on their street and take other measures to slow and reduce the flow of vehicles.

The measures are only temporary as the city makes long-term plans for the street, which is targeted for development in the county’s master plan of highways. The city could lose millions of dollars from the county if 19th Street is downgraded from a primary thoroughfare to a residential street, City Manager Allan L. Roeder said.

Resident Bob Hoffman, however, said the city should work with the county to take the street off its master plan and reclaim the street for residents.

The county for many years has designated 19th Street for growth but has not yet turned it into a highway, he said.

“I think it’s a good start, but there’s a long way to go,” Hoffman said. “I’m going to push for further downgrading.”

The city will reduce the speed limit from 30 to 25 m.p.h., install two stop signs at Fullerton and Raymond avenues, add white parking stripes on both sides of the street, paint a solid line down the center and install more signs to warn heavy trucks of the street’s weight limit.

The city will also study downgrading the street further after the Costa Mesa Freeway extension project is completed along Newport Boulevard.

Residents have complained to the city that drivers consistently exceed the speed limit and have asked the city to consider installing sidewalks as an accident prevention measure.

The strip of single-family homes is surrounded by development, including Triangle Square, which will include stores and restaurants when it is completed. Many residents fear that the development will bring even more traffic to their street.

Councilwoman Sandra L. Genis, an advocate of slow growth since winning her council seat two years ago, said the traffic problem was caused by major development in the area.

“As we get more and more development,” she said, “it’s not going to get better. If we are really sincere about helping the neighborhood, then we have to look beyond the Band-Aid solutions. This is not sincere.”

Councilman Peter F. Buffa said, however, that the development has little to do with increased traffic. The Triangle Square Development project has been vacant for years, for instance, yet traffic has continued to increase, he said.